Cover Story: 10 Best Software Companies 2018

Ntiva: You build your business, we take care of your IT

CIO Bulletin

December 2018

“Reduce IT Costs. Increase IT Security. Boost Business Efficiency”

Technology has become mission-critical for the survival of businesses. But technology is becoming complex with time and there is a deficiency in suitably skilled people who know how to leverage technology for growth. Hence, businesses are now calling upon the services of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to solve this major problem. These MSPs either completely take over a business’s IT or outsource specific functions. But if your business is going for an MSP, there is probably a lot to choose from. But there’s no one in this space that can rival Ntiva’s enthusiasm.

Founded in 2004 by Steven Friedkin, Ntiva is based out of McLean, VA. The company is a dedicated Managed IT Service Provider that aims to help businesses grow through IT services, cloud services, help and support desk, cybersecurity, business telephony and strategic consulting. It extends its expertise and innovative solutions across verticals such as Legal, Finance, Education and Healthcare verticals.

The Ntiva Story

Although, the company was officially founded in 2004 by Steven Friedkin. Its unofficial launch was perhaps when the founder was just thirteen years old!

The journey of Ntiva started when Steven was mistaken to be an employee at a CompUSA outlet. A wealthy businessman had sought out Steven’s technical advice here. Steven’s advice turned out to be good and from here his first client led him to many more. The business continued to grow throughout Steven’s high school and college. In 2018, Ntiva has more than 120 people on its payroll.

As the company has grown and many people have joined the company and yet Steven continues to stress upon sticking to the core values of the company which it was built on. Its three core values being:

Customer service first

Managing every dollar as if it was our own

Hiring, developing and retaining only the very best people

“Ntiva has always had this vision – it isn’t technology that makes a managed IT service provider stand out, it’s the service.”

What sets them apart?

There are roughly 25,000 competitors that provide Managed IT services just like Ntiva. But seldom do companies have the same level of enthusiasm.

Being a Managed Service Provider has its own set of challenges associated with it. To combat this, Ntiva believes that it is on a continual path of improvement. It chooses to focus on Response, Accuracy, and Care because at the end of the day, it is these three virtues that the clients care about the most. Moreover, in its pursuit to meet these three client expectations they try to focus on service rather than focusing solely on the technological aspects.

Automation is something that Ntiva has heavily invested in to make daily tasks automated. This brings down the cost of core services and also the time spent on routine issues and strategic conversations. This greatly improves the credibility and accuracy of the service and solutions that are provided by Ntiva.

Ntiva to the rescue!

Educational institutions generally have dedicated IT departments these days but sometimes more complex and strategic projects require specialized knowledge for their executions. These specialty projects in educational institutions can range from hardware and software procurement, to network, security consulting and cloud migrations.

When an independent school approached Ntiva to solve an emergency outage case, the company responded speedily. The school’s core network had failed which had left them without internet connectivity. Moreover, the outage set the servers back to factory setting and as a result the school had lost all prior configurations. Without any documented plans they needed help.

Ntiva was able to respond within a day’s time and resolved the problem of outage quickly. Ntiva was further asked to help guide the school in making improvements in their IT infrastructure. Ntiva analyzed the existing system and recommended implementing a multi-node server cluster which would allow them to manage the on-premise data and help them when they transfer data to cloud storage. Further, a backup recovery solution was also proposed.

This documented plan helped the school’s internal IT team and has ensured that their daily operations run smoothly. Should the worst occur, the new plan in place can help recover from it swiftly.

One of the best places to work at

Ntiva is recognized by many to be among the best places to work at in the Washington DC area year after year. The employees here report of having a great time at work, where the learning curve is huge. They get to learn a lot in a short duration of time. Employees here have talked about learning more in 6 months of association with the company than what they learned working for a longer period of time elsewhere or even while receiving formal education!

Ntiva also attributes its success to the people and communities around its offices. Hence, it also encourages its employees to extend their expertise and technical skill to help improve the efficiency and workflow of non-profits across the country. To condone and even encourage such behavior, Ntiva offers programs and incentives to its employees to be of service to the communities in need. They also have an internal group that comes together once a quarter to discuss and implement charitable contributions.

Ntiva understands the importance of keeping businesses operational. Its IT expertise is critical for its clients on a regular basis. The company plays a pivotal role in their growth. With a strong focus on customer retention, their clients grow and with the clients, Ntiva grows.

Ntiva Pioneer

Steven Friedkin, Founder and CEO

Mr. Steven Friedkin had a great aptitude for technology from a very young age. He started his first IT consulting company while he was still at high school. His love for technology and natural customer service skills contributed greatly to the growth of this company throughout his college years.

In 2004, he started hiring staff to build a diverse technical backbone for his company. Thus, Ntiva came about. From a company of one to now a company of more than 120 employees, he helped the company grow. The company now handles over 500 small businesses, mid-size businesses, and non-profit associations. He has a BS in Accounting from the University of Maryland.

Plaudits

This year Ntiva was awarded the Triple Crown Award by CRN. The award was presented to Ntiva recognizing its revenue, growth and technical expertise. As many as 46 solution providers from all over North America were shortlisted for the award

Ntiva is ranked #63 globally on Channel Futures MSP 501.In 2017, Ntiva was recognized as the “Breakout Partner of the Year” at the fifth annual DattoCon

Was recognized by the Washington Business Journal in “Best Places to Work”

Satisfied Clientele

“We were very impressed with the response to our recent malware intrusion. The Ntiva staff was very responsive and acted swiftly.” – Mike Mohr, Westwood Country Club

“It’s a comfort knowing that the Ntiva team is there to support us. I’ve always experienced quick, reliable and professional service and I know that if I have to call on Ntiva, any time night or day, it will be a pleasant experience with positive results.” –Susan Taylor, Council of Chief State School Officers

“We have little to no tolerance for downtime, slowness, or interruption to our business and Ntiva helps us to avoid problems before they happen. I genuinely feel like they have our back and have no hesitation in recommending them!” – Matt Jones, Leading Authorities

“Ntiva’s ultimate objective is to help our clients leverage their technology investments to improve their overall business performance.”

“You can find expertise anywhere, but the level of enthusiasm and passion can only be found at Ntiva!”